Dr Chris Joseph

Chris is a very experienced Mindfulness Trainer and Coach. He runs his own mindfulness training and coaching company based in Caerphilly, South Wales, and has been featured on national radio.

He originally discovered the benefits of mindfulness meditation in 2007 and attended an eight week Breathworks Cardiff mindfulness course in February 2008. So inspired was he by the quality of the course and the positive effect that it had on his life, that he decided to become a qualified trainer himself. He has since completed the Breathworks training programme, becoming fully accredited in July 2010.

Chris completed his NLP Practitioner qualification in September 2009 with Dr Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP, and John LaValle. He has since undertaken further coaching training with Anthony Robbins in the USA and Richard Waterman in the UK.

Prior to becoming a mindfulness trainer Chris was a lecturer and academic researcher at Cardiff University, and he holds a PhD in Civil Engineering.

Chris has had a regular meditation practice since 2007, and enjoys taking the opportunity to further his own practice by attending various courses and meditation retreats. He considers the development of his own mindfulness practice to be essential in being able to teach mindfulness from a position of experience and integrity. In the last 4 years alone he has attended 4 intensive 9-day meditation retreats, several weekend meditation and yoga retreats, 3 mindfulness conferences, and a 2-day training course on the MBSR ‘enquiry method’ with Eluned Gold from the Bangor centre for mindfulness research and practice.

He teaches mindfulness courses in Cardiff, and trains companies in how to integrate mindfulness into their workplace, both for the well-being of their staff and the development of authentic leadership from their management.

He also coaches on a private basis using his own signature approach. This combines the power of present moment self awareness through mindfulness, and the transformative power of coaching, both in business and in life. His clients are often already high achieving individuals who are seeking a different, smoother way of living.

Chris lives with his wife and two young children in Caerphilly, South Wales. He is a Welsh speaker and enjoys reading, running, and playing with his children.

Chris is an excellent mindfulness trainer. His teaching, which is borne out of life experience, has a delightful quality of being clear and accessible whilst being delivered with warmth and humour. He is a gifted communicator with a calm and reassuring presence who has helped many people through his work.

Vidyamala Burch, founder of Breathworks and author of 'Living Well with Pain and Illness', ‘Mindfulness for Health’ and 'Mindfulness for Women'.

From the Breathworks course I feel that I have gained more self awareness, skills to cope better, and reassurance that it”s not just me who feels like I do! Chris has been a great trainer. He has been using innovative ways to help us remember key points such as the water tanks for the ”bigger container” and cushions for ”primary and secondary” suffering – they really did help… Thank you very much. I think I will take what I have learnt with me for the rest of my life.

On this course I have learnt techniques for being mindful in everyday life, such as mindful communication, and I am better able to respond now to certain circumstances, rather than react! I also found it very beneficial to be able to speak to others on the course. Chris is a very effective communicator, and I found the practical examples he gave to be extremely useful. He had a very calming influence on the group and he made me feel comfortable, and I felt as if I could mention as much or as little as I wanted too… Very good course, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to spend some time with (and on) themselves!

The course has given me better tools to facilitate a more serene lifestyle, building my awareness, and learning to make time for me. I feel I have gained a broader perspective on things. I enjoyed Chris’ subtle yet effective methods of demonstrating key points of the course. He showed a lot of patience and fully supported my progress.

I feel more calm on a day to day basis as a result of practicing the techniques from the Breathworks course in everyday life. Chris is a very calm and easy going trainer. He delivers the material well and explains things carefully. I decided to enrol on the course following a recommendation during a CBT session, and I feel the two work well together.

The Breathworks programme has given me an awareness of my body, my pain and the world. I feel that I can now respond differently to my pain. I already feel great benefits now, and I believe that with ongoing practice my life will be greatly improved. Chris is an excellent trainer. He communicated brilliantly. His understanding of mindfulness and the course was outstanding, and I felt that I could trust him with any concerns I had during the course.

Breathworks has given me a chance to put into practice, discuss and report back on methods that have helped me feel calmer and cope with anxiety. The routine of the programme has pushed me into practicing these methods regularly which will all round be beneficial to me. The material was explained well and methods were recalled on throughout the weeks. Individuals were given time and chance to speak without feeling pushed and Chris made it a comfortable environment in which to practice in… A successful course! Thank you.

This course has given me tools to deal with depression and has raised the importance of my well being. It has enabled me to find perspective and to pace my life in such a way that I don”t fall apart. Chris was excellent. He was empathetic, concise, funny, interesting, and could explain the different aspects of the course very well. He clearly knows his stuff and I”d like to attend more courses to improve my knowledge. He was also available at the end of the telephone or e-mail if need be… Thank you.

The Breathworks course has given me positive and constructive ”tools” for life and new ways of seeing the world. Chris was a super tutor. He made me feel involved and welcome even before the course began. He gave excellent and really thoughtful explanations and obviously really cared about what happened on and through the course… I have already recommended the course to others.

Through the Breathworks course I”ve recognised the benefit to my overall mood of stopping and giving my brain a chance to rest, reflect and be calm. Chris communicated the material really well – he organised the sessions to cover all the material while remaining relaxed and open to discussion. I thought Chris paced the course well, and broke it up into clear sections, with a clear theme to each section, with images and role play to leave a memorable impression. Thanks – I”ve really enjoyed the course… It’s made a difference to me.

The course was well structured and fun… I have learnt to take some time out for myself. The CD’s are really good for helping with the home practice. Chris was very good at recapping from the previous week, jogging the memory and then building on that information. He made us all feel at ease which enabled us to talk quite openly.

I feel that I’ve got a sense of balance, perspective and an awareness of being a ”bigger container” from the Breathworks course. Chris communicated creatively with humour, confidence and humility… The course was most enjoyable.